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LeBron Raymone James (IPA: [ləbrɑn dʒeɪmz], born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio), commonly nicknamed King James or The Chosen One, is an American All-Star NBA basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beginning in his junior year of high school, James was highly promoted by the national media in the United States as a future NBA star. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, directly out of high school at the age of 18. He is now widely considered as one of the more gifted and versatile players as well as serving as one of the more prominent figures in the league. *** *** LeBron James was born an only child in a low-income area of Akron, Ohio to the unwed Gloria James on December 30, 1984. His mother was only 16 at the time and six months shy of graduating from high school. Due to his family's humble circumstances, James, being raised solely by his mother and her associates, led a transitory lifestyle, moving frequently from one home to another. Things began to look up for him when his mother began seeing a man by the name of Eddie Jackson. James was young enough at the time to have him serve as a father figure; he did not have any contact with his biological father. Jackson would often be seen supporting James later on at his high school basketball games. Starting as early as his junior year in high school, James had made it clear he was planning to pursue an NBA career following his graduation. James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. He was the starting point guard on a team led by James' future best friend and manager Maverick Carter. Although Carter is commonly referred to as James' cousin, they are not actually related. With James at the point and the primacy of Carter, the team cruised to a perfect 27-0 record and won the Division III state championship. James averaged 18.2 points and 6 rebounds per game. James took over the helm of the team after Carter's graduation and averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and four steals for SVSM en route to another state title. He was subsequently named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball"and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team — the first sophomore to be so honored. An avid football player in addition to basketball, James was also able to add to his resume the distinction of being First-Team All-State as a wide receiver for his high school team. However, injury concerns influenced James to concentrate solely on basketball. In James' third year of high school his stats improved even further. He averaged 29.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, and was once again named Mr. Basketball Ohio. In addition, he again found a spot on the All-USA First Team, and was named the 2001-02 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. It was then that his nickname "King" James would become a household staple in Ohio. In his junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine which was the beginning of his nationwide exposure. Dubbed "The Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated, James was the first high school basketball player on the cover since Rick Mount.However, the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team failed to defend its state title when it moved up to the more challenging Division II and lost to Cincinnati's Roger Bacon High School. LeBron attempted to declare for the NBA Draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's rules of draft eligibility, which then required the completion of high school by a prospective player. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an unprecedented level of attention on him as he entered his senior year. By then, "King" James had already appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. His popularity soared to new heights, forcing his team to move from their playing at the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. Celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal attended some of the games, hoping to get a glimpse of the prodigious young basketball player. A few of James's high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view. Gloria James touched off a firestorm of controversy when she was allowed to use her son's future earning power as collateral to secure a bank loan to buy an $80,000 Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday, prompting an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted two throwback basketball jerseys worth $845 from NEXT, an urban clothing store in Shaker Square, in exchange for his posing for pictures to be displayed on the store's walls, OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension and allowing him to play the remainder of the season. However, James's team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a result. Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr. Basketball Ohio and to the All-USA First Team. He earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. Although it was a foregone conclusion, by participating in more than two high school all-star events, LeBron legally lost his NCAA eligibility. In what was one of the most anticipated NBA drafts in recent memory, James was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because of immense public interest in LeBron, he became an instant celebrity. Even before James played a single NBA game, he was awarded an unprecedented $90 million shoe contract by Nike. LeBron James on the shootout practice with US national team before the game vs. Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade, August 6, 2004.In his first NBA basket, he came up with a steal and a fast-break dunk for two points. That lead the way to netting 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals on 12-of-20 shooting in his first regular season NBA game against the Sacramento Kings. He went on to win Rookie of the Year honors. He finished his rookie season with 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, joining Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only three players to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in a rookie season. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins in his first season, but failed to make the playoffs. In the offseason, James played for Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece where he and his teammates won the bronze medal in men's basketball, the first time an American Olympic team using NBA players (called the Dream Teams) failed to win the gold medal. Due to coach Larry Brown's preference for experienced players, James' minutes on the court were limited. In the 2004-2005 season, James became the youngest player to register a triple-double (double digits in three statistical categories such as points, assist, rebounds) and the youngest player to score 50 points in one game (56 points in a loss to the Toronto Raptors), making his first All-Star team in the process. James's season averages also improved statistically (27.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 7.2 apg). He joined a select group of players to average over 25 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds in a season and was the youngest on that list by far. Again, the Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs (this time by only one game), finishing two games over the .500 mark. The Cavaliers made several off-season moves in the summer of 2005, adding Larry Hughes (from the Washington Wizards), Damon Jones (from the Miami Heat) and Donyell Marshall (from the Toronto Raptors). The Cavs' front office underwent substantial management changes at this time as well. Long-time owner Gordon Gund sold the franchise to Dan Gilbert, who subsequently replaced General Manager Jim Paxson with former Cavs player Danny Ferry, and brought in Mike Brown as the new head coach. At the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, James led the Eastern Conference team to victory with a 29-point, six-rebound performance. He was awarded the game's MVP, becoming the youngest player to do so. James finished the season with 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season. James also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game in a season. One of Lebron's highlights in the season was going for nine straight games with 35+ points. The only other players since 1970 to accomplish that feat were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Following the 2005-2006 regular season, James was one of the top candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He was third in the league in scoring, and second in the league in PER behind Kevin Garnett. He also finished first among forwards with 6.6 apg and 31.4 ppg. James finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting. James was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News, an award given by that publication based on voting of the thirty General Managers in the league. On March 29, 2006, the Cavaliers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1998. In just three years, James had transformed the Cavaliers from a lottery team (17-65 the season before he arrived) into a playoff contender, ending the 2005-2006 season with a 50-32 record, 4th in the Eastern Conference. On April 22 James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards and recorded a triple-double, with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in the Game 1 victory. He became the third player in NBA history to register a triple-double in his playoff debut, joining Johnny McCarthy (1960) and Magic Johnson (1980). On April 28 in Game 3, he became the first player to score over 40 points in his first playoff road game, with 41 in a win over the Wizards. The Cavaliers won the series 4 games to 2, and James tallied 35.7 points per game while shooting 51% from the field. His scoring average is third all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a player's first playoff series. James led the Cavaliers to a 3-2 series lead over the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, however, eliminated the Cavs by winning the final two games. James averaged 30.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 5.8 apg in his first ever playoff tenure in the NBA.

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